Barrel-head



Patented Feb. 2|, |899.

J. KANE.

BARREL HEAD.

NITED STATES PATENT Fries.

JOHN KANE, OF JAY, NEW YORK.

BARREL-HEAD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,038, dated February`21, 1899.

Application iiled September 29, 1898. Serial No. 692,188. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, t may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN KANE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jay, in the county of Essex and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Barrel-Heads; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and eX- act description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in barrel-heads, and particularly to that class of such devices which are contractible and expansible to adapt them to barrels of varying sizes.

The object of my invention is to provide an adjustable head for barrels which is of inexpensive construction and simple and effective in operation.

With these and other objects in View my invention consists of the details of construction and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

Figure lis a plan view of my improved barrel-head. Fig. 2 is a similar view omitting the central combining-piece; Fig. 3, a vertical sectional elevation of a barrel, showing the head unlocked; Fig. 4, a similar view with head locked; Fig. 5, a detail of the central combining-piece; Fig. 6, a plan of detached segmental sections, and Fig. 7 a plan of head formed of six sections.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings, A represents the chime of abarrel, and B the head thereof. The said head B, as constructed in accordance with my invention, consists of segmental sections 1 2 3 4, the peripheries of which have the usual bevel 5, which enters a corresponding croze 6 in the stave ends, and from their inner central ends a small portion is cut away to form a segmental recess, as shown at 7 in Fig. 2, so that when the sections are in position a central circular opening 8 :is formed in the head B. This opening 8 is provided to receive the screw-stem 9 of a button or disk lO, which carries a collar 9L and is centrally secured by said screw-stem in a connecting cleat or batten 11.

The segmental sections 1 2 3 4, which, it will be understood, may be of any desired number greater than two, have in their straight joining edges tapering angular recesses 12, said recesses being in the upper side of each alternate section and in the lower side of each alternate one of the remaining'sections as relatively placed to form the head of the barrel, so that a lap-joint will be formed between each section, and it will be noted that the recesses 12 are of sufficient depth to admit of a considerable expansion of the head without disunion of the sections.

To insert my improved barrel-head, the peripheral edges of two oppositely-disposed sections are engaged with the croze of the barrel and their central ends raised sufficiently to enter the annular recess between the disk 10 and batten 11, as shown in Fig. 3, whereby said sections will be supported while the remaining sections are put in position. The hatten 11 is then depressed flush with the head-sections, whereby the central ends of the sections contact with the stem ot' the disk 10 and force the beveled peripheral edges of said sections tightly into the croze. The heading operation is completed by securing the batten to the head by screws 14.

To adapt this head to different-sized barrels, my invention contemplates the employment of a means whereby the stem of the disk lO may be enlarged or reduced, and this is accomplished by wrapping the said stem with a cord 12X, (preferably tarred twine,) as illustrai'ed in Fig. 5, a radial slot 13 extending from the stem to the edge of said button, in which the end of the cord is secured to prevent its interference with the insertion of the section ends.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided a simple and ineX- pensive device which will greatly facilitate the work of heading barrels, as the necessity for removing the upper hoops for the removal or insertion of the head is dispensed with and the mutilation of the hoops and stave ends avoided. The heads in common use are such as require the coopers skill and special tools in their making and tting, while my device may be constructed and applied by anyone IOO having ordinary skill in the use of ordinary tools.

It will be understood that minor changes in the construction of my invention may be made without departing from the spirit or sacriticing any of the advantages thereof.

Having thus described the invention,what is claimed as new is l. A barrel-head comprising three or more segmental sections,cach alternate section provided in its straight edges on the under side with tapering angular recesses and the intermediate sections having similar recesses similarly located on their upper sides, and means for securing the sections interlocked, substantially as described.

2. A barre1-head comprising segmental sections beveled on their peripheral edges correspondingly to the croze of the barrel, the inner central points of said sections cut away to form an opening at the inner ends of said sections, and a securing member consisting of a hatten, a disk secured to the under side of said batten so as to form an annular recess between said disk and hatten to receive the inner ends of said sections and to retain same when the hatten is depressed upon the upper surface of the head, substantially as described.

3. In a barrel-head of the character described, a securing member therefor comprising a hatten carrying on its under side a disk, a stem securing said disk to the hatten forming an annular space therebetween to receive the central ends of the barrel-head sections, and means for enlarging or'reducing the diameter of the stem portion to expand or contract the head for different-sized barrels, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN KANE.

Witnesses:

ROBERT B. DUDLEY, THOMAS F. KANE. 

